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We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
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Decrease in national day celebrations, HKFEW calls for another push for national education

(30 Oct) In response to the ongoing protests, many secondary schools this have considered cancelling the flag raising ceremonies for the Chinese National Day in order to prevent agitating student’s emotions. However, such considerations were criticized by the Hong Kong Education Bureau and Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. From a study conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (HKFEW), the amount of teachers whose schools organized flag raising ceremonies and flew the Chinese flag have decreased by 20 percent compared to last year. In response to the recent social climate, 20 percent of schools are also planning to reduce the amount of national education activities, such as study tours to the mainland, and flag raising ceremonies.

The study interviewed 204 teachers, 66 of which were secondary school teachers, 78 were primary school teachers, and 60 were kindergarten teachers. 15% of teachers said that their schools did not organize any activities in celebration of the national day, an increase from last year’s 4%. As for teachers whose schools did organize activities, 55% of teachers claimed that their schools held flag raising ceremonies, half of the teachers said the student sang the national anthem in celebration, and 35% said their school flew the Chinese flag. Overall there was a 20% decrease of flag raising ceremonies and hanging flags compared to last year.
As for other national education activities, conducting mainland study tours is the most common option, with 64% of schools doing so, however this figure is on the decline for the second year in a row. Other activities include forming Sister Schools with mainland schools (61%), class teacher periods (39%), and seminars during assemblies (35%).

The HKFEW says that there is a clear decrease in the amount of activities regarding the national day this year and it shows that the recent protests have had an impact on schools, reducing the willingness for them to celebrate the occasion. They urged the Education Bureau to consider providing support for schools regarding the organization of study tours. They also claimed that the recent protests had reflected that the moral and national education of Hong Kong is lacking, leading youngsters to have a lack of understanding for China. They proposed for the government to add more elements of Moral and National Education and provide ample support for schools.

Similar plans of pushing for national education were proposed in 2012, receiving widespread criticism, causing massive protests, in which the current protest figurehead, Joshua Wong played a critical role, turning him from a regular secondary school student, to a popular political figure.

Source: Apple Daily
https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/realtime/article/20191030/60213259

#NationalEducation
#Denialism #NationalEducation
Chauvinism Or Cajolery?:
Patriotic Rhetoric in Textbooks for Primary Students Went Viral
#Denialism #NationalEducation
Chauvinism Or Cajolery?:
Patriotic Rhetoric in Textbooks for Primary Students Went Viral


Netizens shared texts from a new general studies textbooks, a mandatory subject in primary schools, and immediately went viral on the internet. On the matter of Hong Kong history, the book called British establishment of the Hong Kong colony as an "occupation", and stressed that Hong Kong, despite under the sovereignty of the UK, remained a "Chinese territory".

Critics questioned whether the curriculum was able provide students with an impartial and accurate view of history, calling the move political by pointing to Vladivostok, a Russian occupied territory of China only since Late Qing.

Editor's Note:
Hong Kong's mandatory education system is a two tier-system. About 5-6 years old, children will be enrolled into primary school and would study there for 6 years, after which they will study at secondary schools for 6 more years. Usually children will enroll in pre-class or kindergarten before primary school.

Source:
https://m.facebook.com/shensimon/

Further reading:
Vice-principal suspended over a poem shared on social media
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/17930

#Feb20 #HistoricalNegationism #Education
#OneCountryOneSystem
Translated: National Security Law Drafted by China for Hong Kong

With regard to the National Security Law prepared by China for Hong Kong, pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong and team had the draft translated from Chinese to English.

At a glance, the law can be explained in 7 points for the time being (See the images attached for details):

1. “Prevent, frustrate and punish” behaviours and activities which "harm" national security

2. Arbitrarily defined “foreign forces” that would be "prevented, curbed and punished"

3. Article 23 legislation by the joint cooperation of the administrative organs, legislative organs and judicial organs of the HKSAR

4. A new secret police branch to be set up by the Chinese Communist Government in HK

5. Prohibit behaviors claimingly harmful to national security

6. Directly implementing the law in HK without legislative scrutiny

7. Implementation upon announcement

Source: Joshua Wong's Facebook #May23
#NationalSecurityLaw #NationalEducation #CCP
#Education #Censorship
#NationalEducation from home: Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong urge schools to foster stronger national identity

Due to the third-wave of pandemic in Hong Kong, all on-campus classes will be suspended this fall. Students will be conducting home-based learning again. It is highly likely that national education will be inserted into the home-based learning curriculum.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong sent a letter to chancellors and principals of Catholic primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong.

In the letter, it reminded the chancellors and principals that the Education Bureau (EDB) has been a partner and a major sponsoring body of the Catholic schools, and because of this, schools are required to be supportive of this new notion to promote national education through home-based learning.

Guidelines have been proposed to assist school staffs in enhancing students' understanding in the #NationalSecurityLaw (NSL) #NationalAnthemLaw and also to foster a stronger national identity in the students.

During the social movements in 2019, many alumni from different schools petitioned to show their support in actions against the government's Extradition Bill. Some of the petitions also included students and existing staffs. The Parish has stated that school policies should be strict in the prevention of political activities from happening on campuses and in schools. It also stated that schools need to clarify immediately in the event of a petition, in the name of the school, is found to be carried out. Also, the parish encouraged chancellors and principals to respond to the EDB's actions positively, and also called for parents to understand and work closely with the schools if special arrangements are needed.

In the beginning of July 2019, after the enactment of NSL, Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, Permanent Secretary for Education, sent a letter to sponsoring bodies for aided schools and direct subsidy schools to recommend them to explain the NSL to their students. If any of the students violate schools' rules and fail to display any improvements after reminders, the school should impose punishment.

Source: Apple Daily #Aug7
#RomanCatholicDiocese #EDB
Secretary for Education "Hopes" Schools to "Cultivate National Identity" and Teachers and Principles to "Actively" Join the Government's Universal Testing

Source: Stand News #Aug28
#Education #KelvinYeung #NationalEducation

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24800
Secretary for Education "Hopes" Schools to "Cultivate National Identity" and Teachers and Principles to "Actively" Join the Government's Universal Testing

Regarding the new school term in September, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, secretary for education in Hong Kong, issued a letter to primary and secondary schools, informing the principals and the teaching staff of their "responsibilities to cultivating national identity and law-abiding awareness of the students". The letter demanded schools to turn students into "good citizens and nationals by abiding school regulations in school and law in society”. The letter also emphasised that the HKSAR has responsibilities to "safeguard state sovereignty, security and benefits of development under Basic Law".

Yeung also mentioned the Education Bureau has released a notice to ask teaching staff and students to become familiar with the National Security Law.

As the government is promoting a universal COVID-19 testing scheme, Yeung has wrote on Facebook, hoping that "principals, teachers, students and parents can join the plan actively”.

Ip Kin-Yuen, lawmaker representing the functional constituency of education sector, stated it was not a problem if Yeung just advised, as long as “the test should not be mandatory, and teachers and students were not forced to be tested”. Ip urged the authorities to disclose relevant information and let teachers, students and parents decide for themselves.

Source: Stand News #Aug28
#Education #KelvinYeung #NationalEducation #NationalSecurityLaw #Covid19Testing #UniversalTesting #NationalIdentity
#Authoritarianism #Oppression #Education #LiberalStudies
Pro-Beijing Academic Appointed to Review Liberal Studies in Hong Kong's Education System

In November 2020, the Education Bureau in Hong Kong announced “reform” to high school Liberal Studies subject, stating that the new curriculum will be rolled out in September 2021.

The short-lived Committee dedicated to the Review of the Curriculum Development of Liberal Studies was formed in 2019, but was dissolved subsequently in December 2020, following its last committee meeting.

A new committee was soon established a month later and was renamed as “Curriculum Development Council - Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (Re-named Subjects) Committee”.

The 12-membered Committee was led by pro-Beijing academic Lau Chi-pang, who is the Associate Vice-Chancellor of Lingnan University.

Lau held many public offices. He is a member of the “Hong Kong Chronical Institute” of the Our Hong Kong Foundation and a council member of the National Hong Kong-Macau Research Council.

Under the new plan, the teaching of liberal studies in Hong Kong schools will be changed to include more content about mainland China and less on current affairs while students will also be taught about national security issues.

Liberal studies will still be a compulsory core subject but students will no longer have to conduct an associated project known as Independent Enquiry Study. Grading, on the other hand, will be changed to a pass/fail system.

Source: Stand News, #Jan21

#LingnanUniversity #LauChiPang #NationalEducation
#Banner on Hong Kong's Mountain Reads: "National Security Dog Devours the Blood of the Children"

A gigantic black banner that is approximately 30m long and 3m wide was sighted on Kowloon Peak, Hong Kong on the morning of Feb 6, 2021.

The words were written in white. The first part of the message is encoded with a homonym for "national security dog". The second part means "devour the blood of the children".

In the past few days, the Education Bureau of Hong Kong has announced plan to include "national security education" into the Liberal Studies subject. The Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung even blatantly said that with the reformed curriculum, the subject could be called "National Education".

Source: Apple Daily #Feb6

#KowloonPeak #NationalSecurityLaw #Children #Education #LiberalStudies #NationalEducation
Liberal studies, one of the new senior secondary curriculum, has been implemented since 2000. But now, all previous Organisers rejected to comment on the Reformed Liberal Studies curriculum.

#LiberalStudies #NSScurriculum #NationalEducation #GoHKgraphics
The Education Bureau announces a new guidelines regarding to national education for schools, starting from 2022 onwards.

#EducationBureau #NationalEducation #GoHKgraphics
Hong Kong Schools Schedule National Security Education Activities, Mainland Exchange Tours

source: In-Media HK #Sep04

#NationalEducation #NationalSecurityLaw #NationalFlagLaw #Education #Mainlandization

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Hong Kong Schools Schedule National Security Education Activities, Mainland Exchange Tours

Following the Education Bureau's (#EDB) push to increase emphasis on "Citizenship and National Security Education", many Hong Kong schools have scheduled numerous activities around patriotic topics.

Read more:
Hong Kong's “National Education Calendar” suggests discussing #ChineseCommunistParty development and watching three "patriotic anti-Japanese" films a year
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/866

According to the "Primary School Profiles 2022" published by the EDB in September, these activities include exchange trips with schools in mainland China and quiz competitions. Out of the 500-plus primary schools in Hong Kong, 59 will be organizing flag-raising teams this year.

HKFEW Wong Cho Bau School, run by the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (#HKFEW), plans to establish exchange tours with sister schools in mainland China. The school aims to "deepen the students' knowledge of the history and culture of the motherland" through poetry reading, studying Chinese music and water painting.

Alliance Primary School in Kowloon Tong, ranked among the top primary schools in the city, will host a "Life in the Mainland Experience Tour" in primary year 5, "to let students gain a deeper understanding of student life in poorer areas, and to learn to give and be thankful". ELCHK Hung Hom Lutheran Primary School will have "scholarship tours", sending students abroad on exchanges with sister schools in places such as Canada and Beijing, so they could learn more about the world and the motherland. Several schools belonging to the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals will also participate in the EDB's mainland exchange program.

Many schools have followed the EDB's suggested calendars and planned events on "important dates". ELCHK Faith Love Lutheran School explains: "Through activities such as Nanjing Massacre memorial day, constitution day, flag-raising ceremonies, and Speeches under the National Flag, students will learn National Security Education, and develop their concept of their country and respect for rule of law."

[editor's note: "Speeches under the National Flag" is a routine part of flag-raising ceremonies in China's schools, featuring speeches by teachers and outstanding students, as well as individuals deemed "model workers" by the Communist Party. The practice is prescribed under China's National Flag Law, so that students from kindergarten onward could "develop a sense of duty to love the country."]

In addition to events on "important dates", many schools are integrating national security education into their regular curriculum. Diocesan Girls' Junior School and SKH Chi Fu Chi Nam Primary School are among the schools who stated this intention.

source: In-Media HK #Sep04

https://bit.ly/3CXtNDM

#NationalEducation #NationalSecurityLaw #NationalFlagLaw #Education #Mainlandization
"Politically corrected" textbooks in the New Hong Kong Era

Source: InMedia #Sep04

#NationalSecurityLaw #NationalEducation #RewritingHistory

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"Politically corrected" textbooks in the New Hong Kong Era

6 publishing companies amended their #LiberalStudies textbooks after "inquiring" the #EducationBureau for comments in August 2020. Journalists discovered that some contents are removed, including #June4th, #CulturalRevolution, #MongKokCivilUnrest, #LocalConsciousness and #HongKongIndependenceClaims.

In November 2020, then-Secretary of Education, Kevin Yeung, announced to reform the Senior Secondary Liberal Studies (LS) syllabus. Course content was re-organised, and some were removed in order to grow students’ national identity with a mainland visit opportunity.

Less than a year later, the new subject “Citizenship and Social Development” replaced LS in school curricula. However, its textbooks were only approved in June 2022. Journalists discovered that the new books did not only modify a few photos or comics, but completely overthrew statements made in past textbooks. Notable changes include stating that Hong Kong was “not a #colony”, and the #AntiELAB movement was “an illegal incident that is violent and endangers national security”.

In the new era of Hong Kong, are the textbooks becoming "politically correct"? InMedia found #LiberalStudies textbooks published between 2014 and 2020, and compared them to the new #CitizenshipandSocialDevelopment textbooks.

Under the new syllabus, concepts including "#CivilDisobedience", "Separation of Powers", "4 levels of the Rule of Law" and "Multiple identities" are removed. Topics that took their place are #NationalSecurity, #NationalIdentity, and #NationalAchievement. The topic of Rule of Law no longer covered #RestrictionofLaw, #HumanRightProtection without affecting others’ rights, social order and national security.

Additional materials are taken mainly from official government sources, such as Information Service Department and blogs of government officials. Students are no longer required to discuss topics with controversial views. They only need to answer questions such as “Why does the National People's Congress interpreting the law not affect judiciary independence?”

Source: InMedia #Sep04

https://bit.ly/3wUtMww

See also:
Hong Kong Schools Schedule National Security Education Activities, Mainland Exchange Tours
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/1006

#NationalSecurityLaw #NationalEducation #RewritingHistory